Built as the first ever multi-story parking garage in Chicago, and believed to be the oldest surviving example in the United States, the Hotel LaSalle Parking Garage met an ignoble death in the summer of 2005.

Built as an accessory structure for the elegant Hotel LaSalle, owner James W. Stevens sought a solution to the parking woes of the day by offering his guests, as well as other city patrons, safe and convenient Loop parking. Innovations included an elevator for cars as well as an internal ramp system, which became the standard for parking garage design and is still used today. The handsome terra cotta façade resembled an office building so as to blend in with surrounding commercial structures.

Although the city designated it a Preliminary Landmark in May of 2002, numerous issues, including finding a viable economic reuse for the building, ultimately led to the demise of the Hotel LaSalle Parking Garage. Alderman Burt Natarus (42nd) pulled his support for the designation in November of 2005, and a demolition permit was issued shortly thereafter. A tax-draining vacant lot now occupies the site.